What's the REAL reason for high fuel prices?

Question

Bad politicians? Normal global economy downturn? Peak oil? Greedy oil execs? Something else?

I'm trying to get to the bottom of this so I can take action without looking foolish. It's disgusting us Americans are putting up with this.

Does any educated person know what's up and how we can fix it?

Answer 1

OPEC

Answer 2

Likely price fixing by the oil giants

--I say that because they just caught a few smaller companies here doing it here  .

Answer 3

the USA keep bombing the people who have the oil...if you take action you will be a terrorist...just be happy to pay extra for the oil and keep quiet or u could disappear

Answer 4

Bush and his buddies and family have long been and still are oil tycoons. Bush was also involved with the Enron scandal as govnr of Texas. It was Tex vs Calif. Some of the Enron execs were prosecuted and are serving time. So now its all about revenge. As Calfornians drive more than any other state Bush and company are filling their Texas sized wallets. The presidential pension is pennies compared to their oil stocks. Vote them out. Its never to late to impeach.

Answer 5

Taking out Saddam caused oil prices to rise. When he was waving the sword telling Saudi Arabia , Kuwait etc tha he was going to get them. They needed us for protection. With their enemy dead they have nothing to fear and no longer need us. So we now have no leveage. ie- when Bush asked for more output he was told simply told NO!

Sounds strange that killing Saddam caused this , but the logic makes one think.

Answer 6

i heard the dollar is losing value

Answer 7

Corporate Greed or ....

Maybe the supply of oil really IS getting low despite the production figures given to us, etc.   Perhaps by continuously raising the price of oil, consumers will be forced to use less.  This is easier than telling them that supplies are low, which would cause a great panic.  The consequences of a large consumer panic would be more devastating to the nation than a terrorist attack.  I don't think anyone would ever come out and say that we really are running low for just that reason.  Think of how dependent we are on fuel and where contractors and troops are being placed in the world to get it.  Like anyone else, I could be wrong.  I don't sit in on their closed door meetings... but it's another take on why the fuel prices are rising so rapidly.  Ah hahh.

Answer 8

Opportunistic greed is the simple answer.

Hydro electric, geothermal, and solar energy can satisfy global demands. Profit motives direct policy toward fossil fuel habitual consumption.

Ethical and moral decisions by a more knowledgeable general public will direct policy changes.

Profit of a select elite few is adversarial to the best interests of general public. While media and public relations manipulate the conversation it appears that special interests enjoy an economic advantage. On the real scale of space and time, this is a momentary anomaly. Survival will be the leveling factor.

European wealthy pay more per gallon or liter than Mainstream Americans. American Elite can pay more per gallon than Mainstream Americans. When only the elite can afford the price of gasoline there will be plenty of crude and refined product available.

Of course this will indicate the collapse of the automotive marketplace in the US. Elite wealthy drivers will be the only ones on the interstate. Mainstream Americans will be riding bicycles, buses, mass transit, and taxis

Answer 9

With too many mouths talking, there is no way of telling what is REAL. Simply, you make your own REAL using observation and deduction.

Answer 10

1. Greed

2. Demand, esp from US, China (growing nation/economy), India (growing economy and a lot of people)

3. Low supply of oil (not too sure on this one though but I know supply is not as huge as it can be).

4. Dollar losing value.  So everything is more expensive (inflation)

5. Instability in the Middle East (=less oil to be pump)

6. This is similar to number 3...not so much oil being pumped.

Those are my theories for why gas prices are expensive.  Just my thoughts from what I have read over the last months..